Passenger
by chantelle1979
Summary: RoryTristan Fic - Relationships change when Rory is mugged
1. Ethan Hawke and Coffee

PASSENGER  
  
Author - Chantelle  
  
Pairing - Rory/Tristan  
  
Summary - Relationships change when Rory is mugged  
  
Rating - PG-13  
  
Disclaimer - I don't own it.  
  
CHAPTER ONE ETHAN HAWKE AND COFFEE ARE NOT ALWAYS PERFECT  
  
"Come on, Luke. You know you want to give it to us," Lorelai pleaded for the eighth time.  
  
"No."  
  
"Please."  
  
"You have already had four cups in the last half hour. I'm cutting you off." Rory was watching the bickering between Luke and Lorelai with only a half interest. Lately, she had become preoccupied by a certain blond Chilton boy and she didn't know why. 'Maybe it is because he makes me feel like a second class citizen. Why does he do that?' She wondered.  
  
"Just one more, Luke. Look at poor Rory. You are depriving her of some very important nutrition." Luke looked at her sceptically.  
  
"That's it. Get out."  
  
"Now, now. That is no way to run a profit-orientated business. The idea is to get customers to stay as long as possible and bleed their wallets dry of all their hard-earned money."  
  
"Well, you are bleeding my sanity and patience dry. So, get out."  
  
"Fine. I know when I'm not wanted." Luke gave her a sarcastic look. "Come on, Rory. Let's go." Rory was interrupted by her thoughts as Lorelai got up and walked out of the door.  
  
"Oh, we're leaving. Okay. Seeya, Luke." Luke turned to Rory with a smile on his face.  
  
"Seeya, Rory. Make sure that your mother doesn't get into any trouble between here and your house."  
  
"I can't promise anything. Remember the 'Great Traffic Stoppage of 1998'? I was sure that she was going to have to be committed that time." Luke cringed as Rory walked out of the door to catch up with Lorelai.  
  
***  
  
"How can there not be anything on television?" Lorelai threw the remote down in disgust. "We have, like, a gazillion channels and all that is on are reruns of reruns and infomercials." Rory looked up lazily from her book as her mother continued to rant.  
  
"And if they took a minute to think about it, they would realise that they are an oxymoron in themselves. If I were to purchase all of those memory pills that they are trying to sell me, I would remember exactly how many times I have seen this episode of the 'Brady Bunch'!" Rory marked her page and put her copy of 'Animal Farm' down beside her. She knew exactly what her mother wanted.  
  
"Happy chick flick or sad chick flick?" Lorelai's pout turned into a smile.  
  
"Happy, of course. I forgot to buy some more tissues and Luke may look at us weirdly if we were to go there again just to stockpile napkins."  
  
"He already looks at us weirdly. Plus, I think he would barricade the door if he saw you coming. So, I'm thinking maybe 'Reality Bites' and..."  
  
"...and 'Three's a Crowd'," Lorelai finished.  
  
"Ooh, Adam Vetri. Yum."  
  
"I thought so too. But do you mind if you go by yourself. I'm dying for a shower. I feel all yicky, sticky and any other word that has the suffix -icky."  
  
"Yeah, that's okay. I'm a big girl now. I can even tie my own shoes all by myself." Lorelai handed Rory some money. "But don't even think about using the new loofah. I want to at least use it once before you do...whatever you do to them."  
  
"You are no fun whatsoever. How will I..." But Rory didn't hear the rest of her mother's complaints, because she had already walked out of the door.  
  
***  
  
It was a cool, crisp evening. A wind was stirring and the lights of the surrounding houses were starting to flicker on. Rory loved this time of the day. Her mind wandered to all the books she had read as a child and how they would describe this time as the magical hour. She smiled.  
  
Rory looked towards Luke's as she walked. 'I should try and talk Luke into giving me some coffee and cake on my way back. Ethan Hawke and coffee. How perfect,' she thought. But before she could take another step, a hand reached out and grabbed her arm.  
  
"Give me your money and I won't hurt you."  
  
Feelings of fear and surprise were coursing up and down Rory's body. Never in a million years did she think that this could ever happen to her in Stars Hollow. She did not want to turn around and see the owner of the voice behind her, so she continued to stare straight ahead.  
  
Rory could see Luke wiping a table and wished more than anything in the world that he would look up at that moment and see her.  
  
"Give me your money now, bitch." Rory put her hand in her pocket and with a slow, shaking hand, gave the money to her mugger.  
  
"Thank you, pretty girl," he spoke as he ran a finger down her neck to her collarbone. Rory shivered. "Sorry, but I'm going to need a head start."  
  
As Rory was trying to process those words through her mind, she was spun around. Before she could think or even get her bearings, a fist was connecting with her face. She fell to the ground, hitting her head on the gutter on the way down.  
  
***  
  
Luke looked up from his cleaning when something flashed by out of the corner of his eye. He walked towards the window and looked out, but could not see anything. His heart stopped, however, when he looked in the other direction and saw Rory lying on the ground. The dish rag dropped, forgotten, to the floor and he flew out of the door to her.  
  
"Rory!" Luke called out hoarsely as he ran to her. His hat flew off his head and was caught by the wind, which rolled it up against a streetlamp. But he did not notice anything else other than his destination. When Luke reached her, he fell down to his knees.  
  
"Rory! Come on, honey. Just talk to me." He was more afraid than at any other time in his entire life. Luke looked at her face and could see a large bruise forming on her right cheek. His breath stopped short and his heart froze when he saw the pool of blood forming behind Rory's head.  
  
"Rory! Oh, god. Someone call an ambulance! Somebody help! Call 911!" Luke mentally kicked himself for his stupid rule about mobile phones. He was sure going to go out and buy one now. He wanted more than anything to be able to pick up Rory and hug her to him, but he didn't know if that would be safe or not with her head injury.  
  
"Someone call 911!" Luke yelled again. 'Where the hell is everybody in this town?'  
  
"Luke, what are you yelling about?" Babette asked as she walked up behind him. But she stopped short when she saw Rory on the ground. Luke looked up at Babette with a lost look and some unshed tears in his eyes.  
  
"Call 911," he choked out.  
  
"Okay, honey, okay." She quickly pulled her mobile phone out of her bag and dialled the three digits.  
  
"Yes, the main street of Stars Hollow, outside of Luke's diner...hardware store...whatever. Hurry." She listened to the operator for details and then she hung up and looked into Luke's waiting eyes.  
  
"They're coming. She is going to be taken to Hartford County Hospital." She eyes drifted back to Rory. "Is she okay? What happened?"  
  
"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know," Luke kept saying. He tried to move Rory's hair out of the blood pooling on the pavement, but he only managed to get his own hands covered in the thick fluid. 'Why won't she wake up?' Luke thought. He whispered something.  
  
"What was that, Luke?"  
  
"Ring Lorelai." Babette dialled the number, but there was no answer.  
  
"She must be in the shower or something. Do you want to go over and get her or should I?" But she didn't even need to wait for an answer, because Luke never took his eyes off of Rory.  
  
Babette started jogging to the Gilmore house as the ambulance pulled up beside the other two. The last thing she saw was Rory being placed carefully into the ambulance with Luke jumping in after her.  
  
***  
  
"Thank god for that loofah. Who make Rory 'Queen of the Loofah' anyway? I am destined to be with the loofah. I love the loofah. Loofah, loofah, loofah, loofah," Lorelai said to herself as she emerged from the bathroom. She was wearing a pair of blue sweat pants and a white singlet. She began to walk down the stairs when she heard sirens going in the direction of Hartford.  
  
"What in the..." But she never got to finish her sentence because Babette came rushing through the door, out of breath. Lorelai didn't even need to hear the words to know what she was going to say.  
  
"Rory...ambulance...Hartford...County Hospital...with Luke." Before Babette had even finished speaking, Lorelai had grabbed her keys and was headed towards the car.  
  
"Call my parents," Lorelai spoke, as if she was in a trance, from the driver's seat. She quickly pulled out of the driveway to catch up to the speeding ambulance which was headed towards Hartford.  
  
Babette turned to the phone, with tears in her eyes, and spoke a quiet prayer.  
  
***  
  
"Sir, please. You have to let us do our job." The paramedics had been wrestling with Luke for the whole drive so far. They had been monitoring Rory's injuries and even though her wounds seemed serious, they were in fact superficial. However, they still had some concerns.  
  
"Don't let anything happen to her. She's like a daughter to me." The younger paramedic saw the anguish in the man's eyes, and even though he had seen it many times before, he still could not even begin to fathom what Luke was going through.  
  
"Sir, her wounds are not life-threatening and we've stopped the bleeding from the laceration on her head. However, we are concerned by the fact that she hasn't regained consciousness." A panicked look entered Luke's eyes.  
  
"Is there anything I can do?" There was a pleading tone in his voice.  
  
"Just hold her hand and talk to her. Apart from doing that, we just have to wait until we reach the hospital to find out more about her condition."  
  
Luke carefully shifted so he could reach Rory's hand without her having to be disturbed too much. As he looked down at her small hand engulfed in his much larger one, a fierce wave of protectiveness washed over him. He knew from that moment on, he would never take another easy breath unless he knew she was safe.  
  
"Rory, honey. It's time you woke up now." He tried to stay light-hearted. "You know that your mother is probably going insane right now because she hasn't had any more coffee tonight. I would bet that you were coming to plead with me to give you some. She is going to be bouncing off the walls by now."  
  
Luke's thoughts drifted to Lorelai. He hoped that someone was driving her to the hospital. He wasn't sure if he could handle it if the two people who meant the most to him in the world were both in the hospital that night.  
  
"Mom..." Luke's attention was ripped back to Rory, as she turned her head a little and lightly squeezed his hand. Tears gathered in his eyes and one made its way down his cheek as he squeezed back in reply.  
  
"Sorry, kiddo. It's only me."  
  
"Luke..."  
  
"Sir, we need you to move now so that we can get her into the hospital." Luke was surprised because he hadn't even felt the ambulance come to a stop.  
  
"Luke..." The scared sound in her voice and the look in her eyes tore at his heart  
  
"It's okay, Rory. I'm going to be right here."  
  
"Luke..." she said again as they wheeled her into an exam room. Someone knocked into Luke as he tried to make his way closer to her.  
  
"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait over there," a nurse said to him. He turned to look in the direction of which she indicated and saw a well-dressed elderly couple walking towards him. The woman spoke first.  
  
"You're Lorelai's Luke, are you not?"  
  
"You could say that. You must be her parents."  
  
"How is Rory? What happened?" Lorelai's father asked. Luke could tell that they were just as worried for Rory as he was. But he wasn't sure he was ready to talk about what had happened to Rory just yet. He was about to open his mouth to speak, when Lorelai rushed towards them.  
  
"Where's Rory? Where's my baby? I need to see her." Luke raised his hands to calm her down, but all four of the adults just stared at his hands which were covered in Rory's dried blood. Richard Gilmore looked away, while Emily stifled a cry. Lorelai shrank away from Luke as her face turned a paler shade of white.  
  
"Oh my god...my baby." She began to cry.  
  
Luke turned around in a daze to try and locate a washroom. When he found one, he went in and vigorously scrubbed his hands under the scalding hot water. He watched as the blood washed down the drain until the water ran clear, but he kept on scrubbing.  
  
When he decided they were clean enough, he turned the water off and looked at himself in the mirror. Only now did he realise that his hat was missing and that his hair was pointing in all directions. Luke flattened it out, whispered one final prayer and left to join the others.  
  
***  
  
As Luke approached the three Gilmores, he noticed that they were talking to a doctor. He paused in the hallway and just stared at Lorelai to gauge her reaction. A large smile appeared on her face and she hugged the doctor with all her might.  
  
Luke let out the breath he hadn't realised he had been holding and began to walk towards the group. Lorelai turned to him.  
  
"Did you hear that, Luke? She's going to be alright." He matched her smile as Lorelai threw her arms around his neck. He held her close as they each cried happy tears. Both Emily and Richard looked on in confusion. Lorelai let go of Luke and turned back to the doctor.  
  
"Can I see her now?"  
  
"Yes. But only one of you for tonight." He saw three faces drop in disappointment. He hated to be the bad guy in these kinds of situations.  
  
"Rory is a tough girl, but she's been through hell tonight. I'll get a nurse to set up a bed for you, Ms. Gilmore, so you can stay near her. She's fine, but we would still like to keep her here for three days of observation.  
  
Lorelai nodded her assent and followed the doctor to Rory's room. The remaining three adults were left to stare at each other in an awkward silence. Emily again spoke first.  
  
"Luke, could we drop you off anywhere?"  
  
"No, I'll be fine. But thank you very much for the offer, Mrs. Gilmore."  
  
"Okay. Alright. Alright." Emily was torn about leaving her daughter and granddaughter, but finally decided to turn around and head towards the car. As his wife left, Richard walked up to Luke and shook his hand graciously.  
  
"Thank you for being there for my granddaughter tonight. I will not forget this." Before Luke had a chance to answer, Richard had already walked off to catch up with his wife.  
  
***  
  
Luke was left standing in the middle of the hospital hallway, with no idea of what to do. He really wanted to go and visit Rory so that he could see with his own eyes that she was really okay. He did the only thing he could think of, which was to look through the glass partition into Rory's room.  
  
She looked so small and pale that his eyes watered thinking about how they all could have lost her that night. Luke spied Lorelai with her head resting beside Rory's chest. He took a deep breath and sat down in the hard plastic chairs that were placed beside Rory's room. It was going to be a long night for all of them.  
  
To be continued in Chapter Two - The Black Spot and a Mary 


	2. The Black Spot and a Mary

Passenger  
  
Author - Chantelle  
  
Pairing - Rory/Tristan AU  
  
Rating - PG-13  
  
Disclaimer - I don't own it.  
  
Author's notes - Wow, thank you for all the reviews. I got this part out as soon as I could because of them. This is my first Gilmore Girls fanfic, so I was a bit wary about sending it out. However I'm glad that you all like it so far. So, anyway, here we go.  
  
CHAPTER TWO THE BLACK SPOT AND A MARY  
  
Tristan had been waiting at Rory's locker for a little over half an hour but there was still no sight of her. This was the second day in a row that he had waited for her and he was a little worried. He knew that it was an irrational worry, but Rory Gilmore had gotten under his skin and he couldn't shake her. He decided he had to do something about it, so he stood up straight and questioned the first person he saw.  
  
"Hey, Dan, have you seen Mary?"  
  
"No man."  
  
"Emma, have you seen Rory?"  
  
"No." She ran a finger down his chest. "Tristan, what are you doing this Friday?"  
  
"Not now..." He pushed her away and she walked off, angrily. 'I'm being stupid, she's probably just got a cold or something,' he thought. But something in his gut told him it was more than that. He ran his hand through his hair and began pacing up and down the main hallway of Chilton, asking everyone he saw if they had seen Rory. He was now beginning to get some strange looks.  
  
"Tristan."  
  
"Mmmm..." He turned around, a little preoccupied with his thoughts, to face Paris.  
  
"Tristan, are you listening to me?"  
  
"Yeah, what? Did you say something?" Paris scowled at that but continued anyway.  
  
"I said I know where she is," she said through gritted teeth when Tristan's eyes lit up.  
  
"Where is she, Paris?"  
  
"Well, according to my mother, who heard it from the maid, who heard it from..." Tristan was getting impatient with her useless rambling.  
  
"Hurry up and just get to the point." Paris huffily crossed her arms in front of her.  
  
"As I was saying, my mother told me that Rory was mugged or something. She is in the hospital." Tristan's eyes widened. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and started to jog towards the front doors of Chilton.  
  
"Which hospital?" He shouted to Paris behind his back.  
  
"Hartford County. But it's not that serious..." She began to say, but Tristan had already disappeared out of the door. Paris stared at where he had been for a few minutes, then spun around and stomped off in the other direction.  
  
***  
  
There were many thoughts spinning wildly around in his head as he drove towards the hospital. They ranged from the reasonable to the implausible. He decided he needed to get them organised before going in to see Rory.  
  
'Paris said Rory was mugged? Is she okay? How bad is she hurt? What kind of bastard would want to hurt Rory?" Tristan's hands gripped the steering wheel harder at the thought of Rory being in pain. His knuckles turned white, and they remained that way until he had reached the hospital and hastily pulled up in the parking lot. He got out and ran into the building.  
  
"Rory Gilmore's room, please," he said to the nurse at the reception desk. She looked at his face and could see the worry in the poor boy's eyes. She gave him a small smile. 'That girl sure has a lot of visitors.'  
  
"Alright, son. Just over there." She pointed to a door that was slightly ajar. There was a scruffy looking man in flannel standing outside of the room with a pained look on his face. He was listening intently to the words being spoken by Rory in her room.  
  
Tristan stood beside the man and looked through the glass partition to see two police officers talking to Rory. Another person was also present, who Tristan assumed was her mother. His eyes finally drifted to Rory and his fists clenched tightly when he saw the huge bruise on the side of her face.  
  
'If I could get my hands on whoever did this...' But Tristan's vengeful thoughts were interrupted when he realised that Rory was conveying to all in the room what had happened to her. He decided to listen carefully.  
  
"I remember him running his finger down my neck..." Both Luke and Tristan clenched their fists and scowled. "...but I don't remember much after that. The last thing I can clearly recall is watching Luke cleaning a table."  
  
The man beside Tristan let out a pained sigh and walked off. 'So, that must be Luke,' he thought. Lorelai looked up to also see that Luke had left. The policemen were finishing up.  
  
"And that's the Luke that came with you in the ambulance, right?" Rory nodded. She had gotten tired of repeating her story for what felt like the hundredth time. She looked up at the door and her eyes widened when she saw Tristan standing there. He gave her a little wave.  
  
"Well, that's all we need for now. Thank you, Rory. We hope you're feeling better." The taller officer turned to Lorelai. "Ms. Gilmore, can we talk to you outside for a minute?" Lorelai slowly stood up, kissed Rory on the forehead and made her way to the door. Tristan backed up a little as the three adults came out.  
  
"Ms. Gilmore, I really hate to tell you this, but with no witnesses to the crime, and Rory not being able to give us any information, we really have nothing to go on." Lorelai nodded her head in resignation. After listening to Rory's story many times, she knew that the guy would never be caught.  
  
Tristan tuned out the rest of the conversation as he looked back at Rory. She was staring at him with a questioning look in her eyes. He, unconsciously, ran his hand through his hair and shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"And who, may I ask, are you that is staring at my daughter?" Tristan hadn't noticed that the police had left, leaving Lorelai to focus all of her attention on him. He was a little scared and nervous, and she sensed that. Lorelai gave him a small smile and he relaxed enough to be able to speak.  
  
"My name is Tristan DuGrey. I go to Chil..."  
  
"I think I can see from your clothes that you go to school with Rory. So, you're Bible Boy, huh?" She looked him up and down. "Rory left out some very important details, which doesn't surprise me in the least." Tristan blushed and was taken aback that she knew who he was. Then he realised that she probably didn't get a very good impression of him from Rory. Lorelai decided to end his torture.  
  
"Don't worry. I'm not going to bite you. You're the only Chiltonite to come and visit my daughter, so I like you by default." Tristan smiled at that.  
  
"However, if you annoy or hurt Rory in any way, you have the wrath of Lorelai Gilmore the Second to contend with. Not to mention a baseball-cap- wearing man in flannel. Which reminds me that I should really go and find Luke." Tristan wasn't exactly sure how to proceed after that little tirade, so he just mumbled out a "Yes, ma'am." He watched as she walked in the direction that Luke had gone a few minutes before.  
  
Tristan's eyes turned back to Rory. He took a deep breath and headed into her room.  
  
***  
  
"Hey, Mary. You knew that I wanted to see you in bed, but the ever overachieving Rory Gilmore had to go just that little bit further." He gave her a smirk as he pulled a chair closer to her bed and sat down.  
  
"Tristan, you are the last person I would have expected to come and visit me."  
  
"Well, hello to you to."  
  
"Sorry, hello. But aren't you supposed to be in school right now?" Rory was surprised by the visit, but she was also happy to see a different face.  
  
"Aah, Mary. Worried about my education. I didn't know you cared so much."  
  
"I didn't think you did either." They stared at each other, both waiting for the other one to speak. Tristan gave in and a serious look appeared on his face.  
  
"Really, though, are you okay?" He said this so sincerely and tenderly that Rory's eyes widened slightly. They widened even further as Tristan gingerly reached out to touch her swollen face. Her breath caught as the tips of his fingers barely brushed her cheek. When he realised what he was doing, he quickly retracted his hand and suddenly found his feet extremely interesting. Rory, however, was touched by this side of Tristan. 'Maybe I shouldn't give up on him just yet,' she thought.  
  
"So, you are okay, right?" Tristan decided to break the lull in the conversation.  
  
"Yeah, just a few cuts and bruises. I should be out of here by tomorrow."  
  
"Well...if you need...anything...you know...well...you know I'm here right." He decided to lighten the mood a little. "I mean if you need something kissed better..."  
  
"I'll put you at the end of my list." She was relieved that they had slipped back into their familiar banter. Anything else would be unfamiliar territory, and she wasn't sure that she was ready for it, yet. While she was thinking, Tristan put his hand over his heart.  
  
"Oh, you wound me, Mary. Is this how you treat people who walk out of Chilton to come and visit you?"  
  
"Only the one's who make my life there a living hell." As she watched Tristan cringe, Rory regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth. She wanted to apologise.  
  
"Look I'm sorry. I didn't really..."  
  
"No, you're right. I certainly haven't been Mr. Perfect towards you at school. I'm not really sure why I act that way."  
  
"I don't want Mr. Perfect, I just want a friend, or at least someone who doesn't feel the need to crush my self-esteem to the size a grape." Tristan fidgeted with his jacket as he listened to Rory's words, but he couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes. He took a deep breath to strengthen himself before he looked up and spoke.  
  
"About that...I was thinking...maybe we could start over. You know...try the friends thing. I mean...if you don't want to, I understand completely. I really do not deserve a second chance. I just thought..." As he was talking, Tristan kept running his hand through his hair. Rory had never noticed that habit, but now she seemed to find it endearing.  
  
"Tristan, you can stop now. I agree, we should try again. I need at least one friend at Chilton for the rest of my time there. You may as well be it."  
  
"Thanks. You really know how to make a guy feel needed."  
  
"I've been told that by many people." They sat together in an easy silence, smiling at each other every now and then.  
  
"Well, I should probably be getting back..."  
  
"Yeah, I don't want you to get into any trouble on account of me."  
  
"I wouldn't let you forget about it either if I did." Tristan rose from his seat, unsure of how to make his departure. As a last thought, he leaned down and placed a feather-light kiss on her cheek.  
  
"Seeya, my new friend Rory," he whispered softly into her ear. Tristan straightened up and reluctantly walked out of her room and headed back to his car.  
  
Rory was shocked. Many thoughts were racing through her head as she reached up and touched the place where his lips had been only seconds before. 'That boy is full of surprises. This year is certainly going to be interesting.' With that last thought, Rory reclined back onto her bed and decided to rest before the imminent return of her mother.  
  
***  
  
While the new found friendship between Tristan and Rory was being formed, Lorelai had been looking for Luke. She found him sitting outside on the ground, with his back leaning against the hospital building.  
  
"Hey, Mr. Grumpy. You do realise that there are seats inside that you could've being sitting on to wait for us? Actually, I think they've devoted whole rooms to that sort of thing. I'm not sure, but I think that they call them waiting rooms. Who would've thought?"  
  
"Lorelai, I'm not in the mood." He turned to look at her. "Anyway, how can you be so cheery right now? It's your daughter lying in that hospital bed in there." Lorelai didn't know how to read this side of Luke. She had never seen him like this before.  
  
"Luke, I'm well aware where Rory is. And I also know that she is going to be okay."  
  
"Yeah, with no help from me." He turned back away from her and Lorelai began to guess what was bothering him.  
  
"You can't have done anything more than what you did, Luke. I, for one, am forever thankful that you were there. You do realise now, that you are an honorary Gilmore. That includes the craziness and more. And now that we are related, I think that it's fitting that I get more coffee." She hoped her words would help diminish his guilt, but Luke just kept looking in the opposite direction.  
  
"I'm not a fool, Lorelai. You heard what she said to the police just as well as I did. While Rory was getting hurt, she was watching me cleaning a fucking table?" His voice rose towards the end as he lowered his head into his hands.  
  
Lorelai was taken aback as she absorbed his words. She couldn't believe the depths of Luke's guilt. She pulled away his hands from his face and forced him to look at her.  
  
"Neither me or Rory, especially, blame you for anything. And at least we know now that you are hygenic. We had always wondered about it." His eyes still wouldn't meet hers.  
  
"Look at me. You can't keep avoiding Rory because of the guilt you feel. Luke, you haven't even been into her hospital room yet. She thinks that you don't want to see her." Luke became alert after hearing that.  
  
"How could she even think that. I love her like a daughter." Lorelai's heart warmed at hearing those words. She had always suspected that he felt like a surrogate father to Rory, but she wasn't totally sure until now.  
  
"So do I." She gave him a slight smile. "However, you don't show your love for people by avoiding them." Luke let out a deep sigh.  
  
"It worked in high school. But as much as I hate to admit it...you're right," he said as he started to rise. "I think I'm ready to see her now." Luke was confused when he felt Lorelai grab his arm and pull him back down again.  
  
"What the hell?! You're the one who said that I should go and see her." Luke was puzzled.  
  
"Yes, but not right this minute. She has a visitor."  
  
"A visitor? Who?"  
  
"It's a boy." Luke went to get up again, but Lorelai kept a tight grip on him.  
  
"Boy? What boy?"  
  
"Oh, listen to you. You're three minutes off from buying a loaded shotgun and chasing the poor boy through the streets yelling, "I'm gonna getcha!" Lorelai smiled at the visual while Lorelai grimaced.  
  
"Lorelai..."  
  
"Okay, it's a boy from Chilton. His name is Tristan DuGrey. I, for one, am happy that someone from that god awful school has come to visit her."  
  
"Tristan DuGrey. That name doesn't sound familiar." Lorelai braced herself as she spoke her next words.  
  
"Well, that's because you may only know him as...Bible Boy."  
  
"No, no, no, no, no Lorelai," he said as he finally succeeded in standing up. "Not the Bible Boy that has made her life a waking nightmare at that school. She's in the hospital for god's sake. How could you let him go in there?!" Lorelai stood up to try and stop him from barging into Rory's hospital room and killing Tristan.  
  
"Get a grip, Luke. I don't think that mortal enemies go to the trouble of visiting each other."  
  
"The black spot, Lorelai." She stifled a laugh at the seriousness in his voice.  
  
"Come on. He doesn't exactly look like a pirate. Although, what does a pirate really look like? Anyway, I think he actually likes her."  
  
"Oh. That makes me feel a hell of a lot better. We are going in there now!" He started to pull Lorelai towards the front entrance, as Tristan walked out and headed towards his car.  
  
"Look, you don't have to worry. There he is. And, wow, there's no black ink stains on his hands." She couldn't help giggling as Luke scowled.  
  
"That pretty boy over there is Bible Boy. Why don't you tell Rory I'll be there in a minute? I have something to do first."  
  
"Oh, no you don't Mr. King of Subtlety. You are not going to go over there and have some macho, testosterone charged punch-up in the hospital parking lot with a high-school student. You will come and see Rory now!" She dragged him through the doors towards Rory's room.  
  
"You know I'm going to meet him eventually. I could take him."  
  
"Of course you could. Now here we are, go and talk to Rory." Luke tore his eyes away from the hospital entrance and realised that he was outside of Rory's room. Tristan was forgotten as his nerves set in.  
  
"Hurry up, go." With those last words, Lorelai pushed him into the room.  
  
***  
  
Rory was interrupted from her thoughts of Tristan when Luke was pushed into her room. She was more surprised by the fact that this was the first time he was visiting her than she was about him being forced in to see her.  
  
"Hey, Luke."  
  
"Hey, Rory." Luke just stood staring at her without taking a step forward.  
  
"You can sit down, you know." He chose the chair furtherest away from her.  
  
"Luke, sit over here." She motioned to the chair that Tristan had been sitting in. He slowly made his way to the seat and sat down. Rory looked at him as he seemed to be finding her bedsheet extremely fascinating.  
  
"I understand why you haven't come to visit me." Luke nodded slightly but remained silent. He still could not meet her eyes.  
  
"I mean, I can see why you would be disappointed." Luke's eyes shot up.  
  
"Disappointed?"  
  
"Yeah. How could I have been so stupid as to not even look at his face. All I had to do was yell out. You were right there in front of me and..."  
  
"Stop." Luke took a deep breath before he continued. "Rory, Rory, Rory. You have it all wrong, honey. God, I'm not disappointed in you. How could you even think that?" Rory looked down and picked at the loose threads of her hospital gown.  
  
"Well, you hadn't come to see me and I just thought..." Luke stilled her fidgeting fingers by placing his hands over hers.  
  
"I haven't come to see you because I've been disappointed in myself. I was right there..."  
  
"Geez, aren't we a sorry pair. We could be characters straight out of a midday movie," Rory said with a slight smile. "Seeing you there helped me get through it. I felt like nothing bad could happen..."  
  
"But it did."  
  
" Just some temporary injuries and the loss of a couple of dollars, Luke. If you hadn't gotten to me so quickly..." She squeezed his hand. Luke flashed back to the ambulance and a tear slid down his cheek. He squeezed her hand back in reply.  
  
"So, I don't want you to blame yourself, okay. I'm happy you're here now, Luke."  
  
"Me too. Now, I feel like an idiot. But do me a favour. Don't tell your mother she was right. She's already heard it from me once today and one more time will probably give her a god complex or something." Rory smiled and they looked at each other for a few awkward moments.  
  
"Oh...come here, kiddo." Luke pulled Rory into a firm hug as they both shed a few more tears.  
  
"I won't let anything or anyone hurt you ever again," Luke solemnly vowed. He spoke it so softly, however, that Rory didn't hear it.  
  
Outside the room, Lorelai watched the two with tears in her own eyes and a smile on her face. 'Maybe everything will be alright,' she thought. 'Now I really need some coffee.' She left the pair to continue talking, while she went in search of her sacred beverage.  
  
To be continued in Chapter Three - Literature and a Chariot Means No Friends 


	3. Literature and a Chariot

Passenger  
  
Author - Chantelle  
  
Pairing - Rory/Tristan AU(kind of)  
  
Rating - PG-13  
  
Author's notes - Wow, I'm happy that you're all still reading this story. I want to say a big thank you to all the people who have taken the time to review this story. Also, listening to 'Jack Johnson - Taylor', 'Bright Eyes - Lover I Don't Have to Love', 'Phantom Planet - California' and 'Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms' have helped me to not go crazy when I decided to delete this whole chapter and start it again. Okay, here we go. Chantelle  
  
CHAPTER THREE LITERATURE AND A CHARIOT MEANS NO FRIENDS  
  
"What do you mean you had to leave school to visit a friend?" Carter DuGrey was furious.  
  
"Dad, she was in the hospital." Tristan had naively hoped that the school would not have rang his father. 'How stupid was that?' He thought as he watched as Carter sarcastically nodded his head.  
  
"Of course, it was a she. There's always a girl with you. Do you know how embarrassing it was to receive a call from Chilton, asking where my son was? I had to lie because you can't keep it in your pants!"  
  
"It's not like that..."  
  
"Yeah, right. If you get this little tramp pregnant, you will be paying for the abortion...Oh my god, is that why she's in the hospital?"  
  
"No, Dad! Don't talk about Rory that way! She's not like that." Tristan was getting angry and he knew this wasn't going to turn out well.  
  
"Don't try and feed me that line. They are all the same. Your mother was like that, so it's only natural that you would be attracted to the same kind of girl." As he watched his father take a sip of his scotch, Tristan attempted to stifle down the anger that was threatening to bubble up towards the surface.  
  
"I know mom hurt you, but not every girl is like that. Rory's definetely not. She's different, and I told you to stop talking about her that way!"  
  
"Are you trying to tell me what to do now?" Tristan saw the look in his father's eyes and knew what was coming. He began to mumble out a "No, sir", when Carter's fist connected, full force, with Tristan's stomach. He buckled over in pain.  
  
"I know what kind of girls you are with. This Rory is as big a tramp as any of them." Tristan painfully straightened up and tried to catch his breath before replying.  
  
"She is not, dad! She's smart and..."  
  
"Still disagreeing with me, huh?" He backhanded his son hard across the face, knocking him to the floor.  
  
"One day, you'll realise that I know more about life than you think I do." Tristan remained silent, knowing not to antagonise his father any further when he saw that look enter Carter's eye. The same look that usually preceded a swollen eye and stitches.  
  
"Now, get up and go to your room. Go study or something. Just get out of my sight." As his father dismissed him, Tristan watched as he poured himself another scotch. It was as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. 'Then again, this isn't exactly a rare occurence,' Tristan thought to himself as he climbed up the stairs to his room.  
  
***  
  
Lorelai watched as Rory rolled over in bed. She had been watching her daughter sleep for the past ten minutes, wishing that she would wake up.  
  
"Rory, I'm bored. Wake up." Lorelai gently shook her arm. Rory's head shot up off of her pillow.  
  
"Aah! Mom, what the hell are you doing?" Lorelai tried to suppress a grin as she looked at Rory. She had a severe case of bedhead hair and her eyes were as large as saucers.  
  
"As much as I would like for you to sleep in, you have made it more than abundantly clear that you want to go to school today. So..." Rory rolled out of bed, looking around her room for her Chilton uniform.  
  
"I thank you for that. But did you have to be sitting an inch away from me when you did it? Are you sure that Sting never wrote a song about you? My therapy bills are going to be huge." She had located her clothes and was heading towards the bathroom. Lorelai followed behind her.  
  
"Honey, if this is what makes you need therapy, I haven't been doing my job well enough," she said to her daughter through the closed door.  
  
"Trust me, there are many other things on that list." Lorelai smiled.  
  
"I was just checking. I mean, you could borrow some items off of my extensive 'How to Raise a Child, by Emily and Richard Gilmore' list. Just make sure you let me keep the last two. They are gold." She rested her head against the door and absently tapped her finger on it. "Rory, this is really the last time I'm going to ask. Are you sure you want to go to school today?" She heard Rory sigh.  
  
"Mom, for the seventh time, yes. I already have three days to catch up on. I don't think I could handle any more." Rory opened the door and saw Lorelai putting her hands up in defeat.  
  
"Okay, okay, I'm just making sure. Anyway, I'm certain that Tristan, who I will be calling from now on 'damn fine, sexy boy which Rory never mentioned to her mother', will be more than willing to help you catch up." Rory scowled. She didn't like the tone in her mother's voice.  
  
"Firstly, you are terrible at choosing names. I admit into evidence the fact that you gave your only daughter your own name. Secondly, Tristan and I are just trying to be friends and even that is pretty tentative at the moment." Lorelai was about to say something else on the subject, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door.  
  
"Who the hell..." As she pulled open the door, she saw Luke standing there holding two coffees.  
  
"Hey, Lorelai."  
  
"Luke, you are a god," she said as she reached for the coffees. "Rory, lookie, lookie. Luke has actually brought us coffee." She turned her attention back to Luke.  
  
"To what do we owe the pleasure? Did you come to your senses about the fact that coffee is something that shouldn't be rationed and that the absolutely fabulous Gilmore women should be the first on the list of your enlightened beverage giveaway?" She asked with a knowing smile on her face. Luke began to shuffle back and forth while the two women watched in amusement.  
  
"Well, since it is Rory's first day back...I thought it would be alright to have 'one' coffee. And I thought afterwards I could take Rory to school..."  
  
"That's okay, Luke. I was just going to go on the bus..." She glanced at her mother, who was giving her a pointed look. She began again. "I mean, don't you have to be in the diner?" Luke looked a little downcast.  
  
"Actually, I decided to open a little later today. But, if you don't need a ride..."  
  
"No, no. Of course I will go with you. I'll take any reason not to go on that stupid bus." Luke smiled as Lorelai mouthed a 'thank you' towards Rory. All three adults stood at the doorstep in an awkward silence.  
  
"I'll just go and get my things." While Rory hurried around the house, Lorelai kept smiling at Luke.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"It's not nothing. Stop smiling...it's disconcerting."  
  
"Luke, why, if I had known that your vocabulary was larger in the morning, I would have been coming for coffee at dawn." Luke scowled.  
  
"Well, that's a reason for monosyllabic conversation, if ever I heard one." As Lorelai was about to open her mouth with a comeback, Rory rushed back to them.  
  
"Got my stuff. Let's go. Seeya mom." Rory kissed her mother on the cheek and prepared herself for what was sure to be a strange conversation on the way to Chilton.  
  
***  
  
After dodging many questions about Tristan and thinking that she had convinced Luke that she didn't need a lift home, they reached Chilton.  
  
"So, you're sure that you don't need a ride? I can close early..."  
  
"I'm really fine, Luke. I've got a lot to catch up on, so I'm using the library after school."  
  
"I can wait..."  
  
"Sorry, Luke. I've got to go," Rory said as she saw that the grounds of Chilton were empty. "I don't need a ride!" She said as she jogged away, so that Luke couldn't have a chance to respond. Rory wasn't sure what was going on with Luke, but she didn't want him to feel like he had to drop everything he was doing, just for her.  
  
As Rory walked down the deserted hallway, she began to get nervous. She knew everyone was going to stare at her as she walked in. Although the bruise had healed a little, it still stood out prominently on her face.  
  
'Great. Center of attention for the wrong reasons, yet again.' As she opened her locker, a slip of paper floated out. She picked it up and read it. A small smile appeared on her face.  
  
'Welcome back, Mary.'  
  
'Well, at least I've got one friend in this place.'  
  
***  
  
Tristan couldn't keep his leg from bouncing up and down underneath his desk. He had first period English with Rory, but she hadn't shown up yet. He really had hoped that she would be in school today. Also, he had made sure that the seat beside him remained empty, despite the strange looks he received from people he had chased off.  
  
His reverie was interrupted when the door opened and everyone's eyes were drawn to the girl standing there. Tristan winced as he saw the bruise over her cheek and eye, but hid it quickly as she looked straight at him.  
  
"Sorry I'm late, sir," she spoke to the new English teacher, Mr. Foreman.  
  
"That's okay, Rory. Your mother has already contacted the school about your situation." As he said that, whispers could be heard around the classroom. Tristan just glared at all of them.  
  
Rory noticed that there was a chair empty beside Tristan, so she quickly slid into it and got out her notepad.  
  
"So, back to the lesson, literature cannot be defined..." But Tristan tuned out the rest of Mr. Foreman's speech, as he stared at Rory. She was unaware as she scribbled furiously in her notebook.  
  
'She really seems to be okay. But why hasn't she said hello, at least? Maybe she was high on painkillers when we called a truce. Maybe...' But again his thoughts were disrupted when he felt Rory slide a note underneath his hand.  
  
'Thank you for the welcome note. I needed it.'  
  
Tristan smiled as he read her neat, round handwriting over and over. He glanced back at Rory, but she had just continued to write notes.  
  
'Oh well, at least it's a start.' He then decided to turn his attention to Mr. Foreman and whatever he was talking about.  
  
"I would like you all to pair up and choose something that you consider to be literature. It can be anything, but remember, you must justify your choice as to why it should be classed as literature. Your report will be written into a two-thousand word essay, which is due in three weeks from today." Mr. Foreman put the chalk away and began to gather his things. "Okay, class have a good day." As everyone was getting up to leave, Rory turned to Tristan.  
  
"So, do you want to be my partner?" Tristan was shocked. He was not used to her asking him for anything. When he hadn't answered after a minute, Rory decided that she had done the wrong thing. She quickly gathered her things and stood up.  
  
"I understand. You were probably hoping to pair up with some girl you've had you eye on." Those words penetrated Tristan's happy daze as he realised what an idiot he must have looked like by just sitting there. He quickly grabbed his stuff and followed her out of the door.  
  
"Wait, Rory!" He jogged up to her. 'How does she move so fast?' He thought as he reached her.  
  
"Sorry. I kind of tranced out back there. It's just kind of surreal, you know. I mean, us, being friends and all."  
  
"Look, Tristan, if you don't.."  
  
"But I do." Rory smiled. "And I think that we should get started this afternoon."  
  
"You're very eager. But you do realise that I am also using you for your class notes that I missed out on?" Tristan turned them both around to walk towards Rory's locker, and placed his arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Mary, you can use me for anything you like," he leered. Rory shrugged out of his grasp.  
  
"You are incorrigible, you know that."  
  
"But you like me anyway." Rory scowled at that.  
  
"I do like your idea of starting early on this assignment, though. Where do you want to get together? Your house?" Tristan quickly dismissed that idea. He had no desire for his father to ever meet Rory.  
  
"I was thinking your place, actually. You can show me the Stars Hollow that I keep hearing so much about." Tristan hoped he didn't sound too excited about the fact that he was going to be able to see Rory Gilmore's house. Rory shrugged.  
  
"Okay with me. You're the one that is going to have to drive."  
  
"Your enthusiasm is just too overpowering for me, Mary. But I will redeem myself. You better believe it." They gave each other a small smile. "So, we'll meet after school, here, at your locker and we'll go from there." Rory nodded in agreement as she walked off to her next class, leaving Tristan behind watching her.  
  
***  
  
"So, Rory, what's going on between you and Tristan?" Rory had hoped to avoid Paris all day, but she had made the mistake in thinking that Paris wouldn't go out of her way to find her. Now that last period was over, all Rory wanted to do was go home.  
  
"I don't know, Paris. What is going on between us?"  
  
"Don't play dumb, Rory. Everyone has been talking about your little conversation in the hall today. I don't know what was said, but Tristan had his arm around you." Rory let out a breath in exasperation. 'Couldn't the Chilton gossip grapevine have slowed down a little bit today?'  
  
"Not that it is any of your business, Paris, but Tristan and I have decided to be friends." As they came up to Rory's locker, they both noticed Tristan leaning up against it. As he saw Rory approaching, he straightened up.  
  
"Your chariot awaits, my fair lady," he said as he gave a small bow. Paris scowled and turned to Rory.  
  
"Friends. Right. You could at least have the decency to tell me the truth. You're always trying to be my friend...well, I am not friends with people who lie to me." She then walked off in the opposite direction. Tristan saw the hurt look that crossed over Rory's face and knew that it had to be his fault. He fidgeted with his thumbs and then ran his hand through his hair as he decided what to say.  
  
"I'm sorry, I..."  
  
"It's not your fault, Tristan. I don't think that Paris and I will be having any sleepovers any time soon. And that has nothing to do with you." She looked up and smiled at the worried look on his face. 'Why didn't I realise before that he was such a nice guy...Oh, that's right, he was making my life hell.'  
  
Rory grabbed the books she would need and closed her locker as Tristan just watched and contemplated her behavior. 'I will NEVER figure her out.' She turned back to him with an expectant look on her face.  
  
"So where's this chariot that you were telling me about?"  
  
To be continued in Chapter Four - Weddings, Moonface and the Four C's 


	4. Weddings, Moonface and the Four C's

Chapter Four – Weddings, Moonface and the Four C's

A/N – This a slow writing story for me. When it got deleted from my computer, I took it as a sign not to continue. So thank you for everyone that has stuck with it. I really appreciated it when I saw that people were still reviewing it. Anyway, my usual music listening list for this chapter was Antony & the Johnsons – My Lady Story, Grant Lee Buffalo – Fuzzy, The Futurehead – Hounds of Love and U2 – In a Little While.

P.S. Amanda (DramaDarling84) asked where the title came from. It's a song, Passenger by Powderfinger. The lyrics kind of made me think of Tristan. Now on with the story.

oooooooooooooo

"So are we going straight to your house or..." Tristan had decided that this was the best car ride of all car rides. He not only got to sneak glances of Rory intermittently, but he also discovered that she shared his taste of music after numerous sing-a-longs of Radiohead, Jeff Buckley and Bright Eyes.

"Tristan?" 'Right I asked her a question,' he said to himself.

"I said that we should probably drop into Doose's for supplies. Who know what my mother has pillage from our already short list of available foods in our house."

"Doose's? What in god's name is that?" Rory smiled at his confusion.

"Don't worry, it's nothing kinky..."

"Actually, I was worried it was wasn't."

"Ha ha. Anyway, it's a grocery store. I thought we could get some sodas, chips and whatever you want." Rory caught the playful smirk that appeared after she said that.

"Don't say what you're thinking. I can guess what it is." As Rory spoke, Tristan pouted his bottom lip.

"Fine, but I could've been thinking that I had thought of an economically viable plan to abolish third world poverty."

"Yeah, just sell a few of your cars and we'd be half way there."

"Oh, you wound me, Mary. Plus I know that, secretly, you've enjoyed riding home in my little beast." Rory ignored the comment and indicated as to where Tristan should park.

Rory hopped out of the car and got ready to head into Doose's. She turned and realized that Tristan was following her.

"What are you doing?" Tristan was puzzled.

"Umm...going into...Doose's." Rory pondered his answer as many thoughts were running though his head. 'Maybe she's embarrassed to be seen with me. But who knows me here?'

"Rory looked at her watch, at Doose's and back at Tristan. She continued to walk to Doose's and opened the door.

"I guess it's okay, if we don't take too long."

"What's wrong, Mary? Can't wait to get me home and have your wicked way with me?" As he said this, Tristan saw Rory was cringing and looking dead ahead. He followed her line of sight until his eyes rested on a guy, taller than himself, staring straight at them with his mouth agape.

'Please god, don't let Dean have heard that,' Rory kept repeating to herself, but by the look on his face as he walked up to both of them, she knew that he had.

"Well, it didn't take you long. What...did you have him waiting until you got rid of me?" As he spoke, Dean eyed Tristan with contempt and then turned his attention back to Rory, waiting for her answer.

"Dean, it's not what you think. We're just friends and even if we weren't, I don't owe you any explanation...because we're over. Plus, you weren't supposed to be working until 5:30, which it clearly is not, and well...there really isn't a well, but if at any time you want to interject, by all means go ahead."

Tristan watched the scene in front of him with a little jealousy and a lot of anger running through him. 'How can he talk to Rory like that? He must know what she's been through. However, I never knew that she even had a boyfriend.' This jealousy increased as he thought of this guy even getting to hold her hand. Tristan took a step forward unconsciously, however Dean noticed.

"Sorry, I inconvenienced your little love fest by coming in early for some extra cash. I wanted to get you flowers while you were in hospital, but I couldn't afford it. So I thought with some extra shifts I could afford something really nice." Tristan scoffed at Dean's attempt to get back into Rory's good books. 'What a nerve this guy has. Why would Rory even give him the time of day? At least she's smart enough not to fall for that pile of crap.' He looked down at Rory and saw that her features were softening. 'Oh god, she is falling for it.'

"Dean..."

"But, as I can see you already have someone else for that..." he stared pointedly at Tristan in his Chilton uniform, "...who can obviously buy the whole goddamn florist shop if he wants to. So how about this...I'm going to go and stand by the toilet paper and you go get what you need? Okay?" A tear fell from Rory's eye as she listened to Dean speak. Tristan was seething.

"Hey, man. For the record, we are just friends." He took a step in front of Rory so that he and Dean were eye to eye. "And don't ever talk to Rory like that again. Treat her with the respect she deserves. Are we clear?" Tristan clenched his teeth and set his jaw in a no-nonsense manner waiting for Dean to answer. Dean had a chastened look on his face.

"We're clear. But just you wait. When she rips your heart out and stomps on it a few times, you won't exactly be in a rational state of mind. I love her," Dean said quietly as he walked away.

Tristan was shell-shocked. He had never heard anything so honest in his life. He turned around to speak to Rory, but he realized that she was already gone.

ooooooooooooo

Tristan walked out of Doose's to see Rory leaning up against his car, with tears running down her face. As he neared, she furiously wiped them away and turned to open the door that Tristan had just unlocked. Tristan got into his seat and sat there waiting for her to speak. When nothing was forthcoming, he decided to go first.

"I know you didn't want to talk about anything that just happened, but I do have to ask something." Rory eyed him warily, trying to anticipate what he was going to ask.

"Well, it's just that...you promised me chips and soda and I see nothing of the sort here. What are you going to do about it." Rory let out a laugh. The tension was lifted. Although Tristan would give his left arm to know the story of Rory and Dean, he decided that now wasn't the time.

"I guess we'll just have to hope that mom hasn't found the Pringles and chocolate inside the vegetable crisper." Tristan grinned as he started the car and pulled away from the curb.

oooooooooooooo

"Hey mom, I'm home!" Rory shouted as she walked through the door with Tristan following behind her. However, when she stopped short from the sight before her, Tristan bumped into her. It took him a few seconds to take a step back as he got lost in the scent of Rory. As he moved back, he took in the scene that had shocked Rory. There was pieces of material strewn across every available surface in the house. As she peered into the kitchen, Rory saw that it was a mess also.

"Welcome home, honey. Don't touch anything. I got roped into making dresses for Sookie's cousin's wedding and I think I finally have the colors coordinated perfectly." Lorelai saw that Tristan was standing quietly behind Rory, looking a little uncomfortable. "And you brought Bible-Boy home with you. I don't think I thanked you properly for visiting Rory in the hospital. I really do appreciate it." Both women stifled a laugh as Tristan blushed at her words.

"Thank you..."

"Call me Lorelai."

"Thank you Lorelai."

"So, mom, Tristan is here because we're working on an English assignment together...however," she said as she stared around her house, "I'm not sure where this studying will take place."

"Well, your room is free of wedding havoc, but you may want to keep you door closed. Five bridesmaids, a matron of honor and a frantic bride will be here in about..." she glanced at her watch, "damn...in about ten minutes." Tristan stared wide eyed at Lorelai. 'She's going to let me be in a closed room, Rory's bedroom, with Rory. Oh my god.' Lorelai noticed the look on Tristan's face.

"I trust that you won't be trying to corrupt my daughter during your time of study?" Tristan blushed again while Rory cringed.

"No, ma'am."

"It's Lorelai remember. Don't be so worried. I trust that Rory will deal with you well and good if you try anything." He gulped, knowing that this was true. Rory decided to interrupt this little mother talk as she was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable.

"Tristan, why don't you go wait in my room while I rustle up some snacks." She pointed to a closed door off the kitchen. He headed in that direction while she went to the fridge.

"Snacks, what snacks? Where could you have hidden anything snack-related in this kitchen?" Lorelai asked as she followed behind Rory.

"In the vegetable crisper," she replied as she gathered up the goodies and grabbed two cans of Coke.

"We have a vegetable crisper? Will wonders ever cease?" She was interrupted from asking about the Tristan situation when she heard Sookie's voice.

"Lorelai, we're here!"

"Coming!" She turned back to Rory. "We will be talking later. I want some details." Rory shook her head as she watched her mother walk into the lounge room to discuss wedding colors.

ooooooooooooooo

As Tristan first entered Rory's room, he felt like he was reading a diary. It was like he was trespassing. The whole room screamed 'Rory Gilmore lives here!'. From the travel poster to the books to the CD's, he was surrounded by her. And he liked it. Tristan sat hesitatingly down on Rory's bed to wait for her. He was taking in everything he could, when the door opened.

"I got your basics here. Chocolate, chips and coke. The three essential C's. There are actually four, but we don't give away our coffee to just about anyone." He grinned as she set the food out on the floor. As he got up to sit down there with her, he spied a few pictures of Rory and Dean together on her dresser. In most of them, Dean had his arms around her, but his jealousy really came full force when he saw one of them kissing at what seemed to be a dance of some sort.

'They look so in love. I can't compete with that. At least I have her friendship. I guess I can settle for that,' he thought as he lowered himself to the floor, looking downcast. Rory noticed this.

"If you're really that upset about the coffee, I'm sure I could make some."

"No, that alright. I was just realizing that I will have to read some girly Austen novel for this assignment, aren't I?" Tristan hoped that she wouldn't see through this lie. If she did, she hid it well.

"I love Austen actually. But, no. I was thinking that we could decided on something together, that we both agree with. And before you ask, no magazines."

"You're killing me, Mary. But for your information, I read."

"Penthouse Forum does not constitute reading."

"Aside from the fact that it is well structured and socially relevant, I wasn't talking about my bedtime reading material." Rory wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Okay, then what?"

"I don't think I like this assumption you have that I'm an idiot. But if you must know my favorites are Plath, Parker, Kerouac, Boccaccio, Dostoevsky, Steinbeck, Capote, Mailer..."

"Alright, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. But you must admit, you don't exude the sort of personality that..."

"Reads. No I guess I don't. I just don't feel the need to prove that side of myself. Plus, if the fact that I still read Enid Blyton every now and then got out, my reputation would be shot to hell." Rory stifled a giggle as she reached for the book beside her bed. She held it up to reveal that it was in fact 'The Magic Faraway Tree.' Tristan began to laugh with her.

"Well, it seems we have more in common that I thought possible." Rory said through her laughs.

"I guess we do," Tristan replied. The laughter died down as they stared at each other. The heat coming from Tristan's piercing gaze sent tingles up and down Rory's body. She broke the moment by turning to grab a packet of chips. Tristan lowered his eyes to the floor. 'Idiot.'

"Well, we have to start somewhere. How about Crime and Punishment?" Rory asked breaking the awkward silence.

"We only have three weeks and 'Crime and Punishment' is a complex novel to tackle." Tristan was happy to get back to the subject at hand.

"Don't think you're up to it do you. Well, what do you want to read?"

"Nothing too obvious. I'm sure at least six people have decided to do 'Moby Dick' or 'Catcher in the Rye'." Rory nodded her head in agreement. "Maybe a Douglas Coupland or Donna Tartt novel?" Rory was about to agree with the Donna Tartt idea, when a thought suddenly struck her. She held up the book that was still in her lap with a slight smile on her face.

"Rory, no. 'The Magic Faraway Tree'! If anybody found out...god, I don't even want to think about it." Tristan adamantly shook his head.

"Come on! There's a reason that we both keep coming back to it years after we've grown out of the target age group."

"I keep watching Dawson's Creek, but I wouldn't call it a work of art. How can we call this or justify it as literature?"

"You watch Dawson's Creek?" Rory asked with a hint of amusement in her voice. Tristan mentally slapped himself.

"I only watched it to see Pacey and Joey get together. Anyway, you focused on the wrong part of the point I was trying to make. Just because it's a popular book, doesn't make it literature."

"Just because it is popular doesn't discount it from being considered literature. Remember what Mr. Foreman said, 'Literature cannot be defined exactly.' It's relative to the reader." Rory could see that she was persuading Tristan slowly so she kept going. "And you bring up a good point of popular culture vs. literature, and if being one cancels out the chances of it being the other. We can bring that up in our paper." Tristan smiled as he watched Rory's enthusiasm for the task grow.

"...Not to mention what we could write on how important children's books are in molding the minds and attitudes of kids. And also if the lack of these kinds of books today have any effect on the morals and ethics..."

"Okay, okay. We'll do it. I agreed with you from the start, I just wanted to see you think you had to try and convince me." Tristan smirked as Rory glared at him.

"However, if anyone asks, we are reading 'The Pianist'. Agreed?"

"I guess. Not that I think that anyone would care that much about it."

"Oh, you underestimate the loyalty of my adoring fans." Rory scoffed at that while she looked around her room for her other copy of 'The Magic Faraway Tree'. She found it and handed it to him.

"You have two copies. Why doesn't that surprise me?" He opened it up to see her name printed neatly on the inside of the cover. As he leafed through the pages, he got a whiff of the familiar smell of a well read book mixed with the smell of Rory. 'I wish I could bottle that.'

"If you must know, I stayed at my grandparents once and I forgot my copy. So instead of them going to get mine, in their usual fashion they went out and bought me another one, including copies of 'The Enchanted Wood' and 'The Folk of the Faraway Tree'." Off his amused look she decided to continue. "Anyway, I was thinking we could read the first chapter today and compare thoughts. It that's alright with you."

"Sure, Mary. I could spend the night in here too if you want." Rory rolled her eyes. "But I do have one condition. I need some music to read by. I have a problem with sitting in silence." Rory breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure what his condition was going to be and she was thankful that he hadn't dropped any more innuendo into the conversation.

"Tom Waits okay with you?" She asked as she grabbed the remote to her stereo.

"Perfect. Now let me get comfortable here."

As 'Blue Valentine' began to play on the stereo, both Rory and Tristan laid down on their stomachs on the floor and became immersed in their books.

ooooooooooooooo

After they finished the chapter and discussed it at length, Tristan thought that it was probably time that he should be leaving.

"Well," he said as he raised himself up off the floor, "I should be heading home." He thought that there was a slight look of disappointment on Rory's face. But if there had been, it vanished immediately.

"Okay...Thanks for coming and not being...you." Tristan smiled at her.

"Only you could be nice and insulting all in the one sentence." Rory felt bad about her remark, until she saw the smirk on Tristan's face.

"Sorry, but it's so hard to believed that I'm friends with Tristan DuGrey."

"Yes, I understand exactly what you mean. How could Rory Gilmore ever think that the one and only Tristan DuGrey would ever lower himself to talk to her?" He smiled as Rory playfully slapped his arm.

"I see the ego has landed." Suddenly she got serious. "But about today...at Doose's...with Dean. Thanks for not forcing the issue. I'm sure you were and probably still are dying to know the details, so thank you for not asking. It's all still a little too fresh, you know." Tristan couldn't believe that this was Rory Gilmore, standing in her bedroom, opening up to him. 'Maybe having a girl as a friend wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. So what if I want more, I'll take what I can get.'

"Anytime. But if you ever want to talk...I'm here." Rory smiled at the sentiment. "And if you need me for any...extra-curricular activities, I'll be here in a heartbeat." He waggled his eyebrows as he spoke. Rory opened the door and pushed him out of her room.

"That's it. It's definitely time for you to leave." They walked to the front door, noting that everyone had left, but the shower could be heard running. Tristan stopped and turned around as he reached the porch stairs.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow at school then."

"Yeah." The cool wind blew through Rory's hair and Tristan wanted to run his hands though it. Rory noticed his look but dismissed it.

"You should get going. If you're still here by the time mom gets out of the shower, who knows if you'll ever get out of here." The street lamps had not turned on yet, so their only light was from the setting sun, which gave everything an ethereal glow.

"I could live with that," he replied seriously, his piercing gaze yet again sending tingles down her body.

"Tristan..." Rory began.

"I was only joking. Don't take everything so literally." 'Damn it, the last thing I want to here is the 'just friends' speech right now. If a little lie will help me avoid it, I'll do it,' Tristan thought to himself as he turned to go.

'Idiot,' Rory was thinking at the same time. 'Of course he doesn't like me like that. I've seen the kinds of girls he dates, and I definitely don't fit into that category.'

"Drive safely," she called out to him as he hopped into the car.

"Yes, mom," he smirked. 'At least she cares that much.'

As Rory walked back inside and closed the door, Tristan sat watching. He then realized that he was still holding her second copy of 'The Magic Faraway Tree'. He could still smell her room embedded in the pages.

"Maybe I could keep it for just one night," he said to himself as he laid the book carefully on the passenger seat and pulled out of the driveway.

To be continued in Chapter Five – All Hello's Lead to a Couch


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